


Cupcakes for Natsuki

by Smolkobold



Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Aftercare, Cupcakes, Doki Doki Literature Club! Spoilers, F/M, POV Second Person, Romance, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 06:19:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14182740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smolkobold/pseuds/Smolkobold
Summary: Natsuki suddenly invites herself over to your house the day before the literature club's anniversary.





	Cupcakes for Natsuki

Lying on your bed, you leaf through the latest volume of _Parfait Girls_. After getting to know each of the characters, you agree with Natsuki that Minori is your favorite. Even though things never work out for her, you can’t help but admire her spirit and persistence. By this point, all the girls are seniors and Minori wants to make sure they all stay close friends after graduation. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you wonder if the literature club will find a new place to meet up after you graduate. Without a huge influx of members, its kept comfortable in size but its future doesn’t look as bright as Monika had hoped. Just before you get to the end of the chapter, your cell phone goes off. Sliding a piece of paper into the book as a makeshift bookmark, you lean over and unlock your phone.

 “ _you wanted to spend some time together outside of the club so im coming over ^w^!”_

                You check the message twice to make sure you read it correctly. As much as you enjoy spending your afternoons with Natsuki, today wasn’t the greatest day for her to be coming over, much less on such a short notice. You had been planning to ice the cupcakes you made the night before so you could surprise her tomorrow at the literature club. It felt appropriate to mark the first-year anniversary of the club’s founding with the same treat prepared the day you had joined.  Well, that and you felt guilty for always eating the snacks the other girls prepared without bringing anything in return. Besides, it was a good opportunity to prove you’ve learned something from your afternoons baking with Natsuki. Even if she wouldn’t admit to it, it would probably mean a lot to her.

                Trying to make the most of the time you have left, you rush downstairs and throw open the door to the fridge. About a dozen plain vanilla cupcakes are sitting in a little pink container, which you slide onto the countertop. Before you take the cupcakes out, you remember to whip up a quick batch of icing, trying to remember what Natsuki does to make it light and fluffy. With as much speed as you can manage, you whip out the powdered sugar and mix it with the butter you left out to warm the day before. You drip some vanilla into the bowl and beat it aggressively. Lastly, you pop open a carton of milk and add a little to the bowl, giving the icing a thick, even consistency.

                You don’t own an icing pipe, so you take a resealable plastic bag and scoop the icing into it. You reach into the kitchen cabinet and pull out a pair of scissors. Carefully, you slice one of the corners of the bag and grab some cupcakes from the container. You do your best to ice them artfully, but it ends up looking goofy instead. Most of the icing is lopsided, so you decide to take a butter knife and ice the tops flatly instead. By the time you finish icing, you realize you forgot to use the food coloring Natsuki usually does. Even though they’re a little rushed, you’re proud of the effort nonetheless.

                You aren’t given much time to admire your work, however; the doorbell rings seconds after you finish up. You toss your confections into the container and slide them into the fridge, haphazardly tossing your mess into the trash. Taking a deep breath, you fix your hair and answer the door.

“Hi!”

                Natsuki smiles widely at you from the doorway, giving a little wave from the elbow up. Immediately, you draw a blank. You try your best to think of something normal to say.

“Hey! It’s nice to see you outside of school for once. Why’d you come over on such short notice?”

Natsuki’s sweet expression turns sour when you ask about the reason for her visit. You notice her fist clench into a tight ball as she bites into her cheek.

“Do I need a reason to visit? I just wanted to hang out with you! Besides, aren’t you supposed to invite me in or something?”

                You take a step to the side, motioning for her to come inside. She nods, pushing you out of the way as she storms past. Within a few moments, you’re both standing in the middle of your kitchen.

                You figure you should make an effort to be a good host, regardless of her unexpected arrival. Summoning your best Yuri impression, you ask “Would you like to have some tea?”

“Sure! Do you have anything with fruit?” Natsuki asks, returning to her usual playful attitude.

Now that you’re given a chance, you notice a few things that strike you as off. Her usually neat hair is messy, and her cute hair clip and signature ribbons are missing. Her dark grey T-shirt is wrinkled and mismatched with the pleated skirt she wears with her school uniform. You decide it’s best not to bring it up, and instead open the cabinet holding your teas. Rummaging through the shelves, you find one labeled “Strawberry Delight” and remove the container.

“Does Strawberry Delight sound good to you?” You ask, filling the kettle with water.

“Yup! I bet they’d go well with those cupcakes you made!”

                Natsuki’s mention of the cupcakes catches you off guard, nearly making you spill the kettle over the stove. “What cupcakes?” You reply, trying to hide your surprise.

                “You have some frosting on your shirt. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

                Looking down, you notice the offending smear of icing on the side of your shirt. You stammer for a second before admitting the truth.

“I wanted to impress you by making some cupcakes to bring to the literature club’s anniversary.”

“I-Impress me?! Why would you need to do that?” Natsuki looks furious, but you can tell she’s embarrassed from the deep blush creeping across her face.

“Well, you’re always baking stuff for us so I thought I’d return the favor.” You put the kettle on the stove and take the container filled with cupcakes out of the fridge and then place it on the kitchen table.

Before you get the chance to interject, Natsuki snags one of the cupcakes and takes a huge bite out of it. She gets a little frosting on her face but takes care of it with her thumb. You watch Natsuki as she chews intently, knowing that she takes a certain enjoyment out of leaving you in suspense. After what seems like an eternity, she decides to speak.

“Hmm…They’re not as delicious as mine, but for someone less talented than me they’re pretty good.”

Natsuki tries her hardest to look serious, but she can’t help but let a bit of a smile shine through to signal your accomplishment. As though to confirm your suspicion, she finishes the rest of the cupcake with a second bite. It seems like it was a little too much for her to handle though, judging by the bulge in one of her cheeks. After struggling for almost a minute, she manages to swallow with difficulty.

“Are you just going to sit here and watch me eat cupcakes like some sort of weirdo?”

                By this point, Natsuki had already grabbed a second cupcake and was preparing to chomp into that one as well.

“I didn’t really have time to think of anything for us to do. Do you have any ideas?”

                Natsuki furrows her brows for a moment, thinking deeply. After a moment, her eyes light up and she replies excitedly.

“There’s a webcomic I’ve really wanted to read. It’s called In the Kiln! It’s about a bunch of fire guys that live in a forge.”

“Yeah, that’d work. I’d love to read it with you!”

“Not if I read it first!” Natsuki shouts, grabbing the container on the counter and speeding up the stairs. You decide not to race her, instead opting to pour the hot water into the cups. You don’t have loose tea home, so you toss the teabags in last, burning your fingers as you poke them into the ceramic mugs. Carefully balancing the mugs of hot water, you ascend the staircase and make the turn into your room.

                Pushing the door open with your back, you turn to find Natsuki sitting at your unlocked computer, leafing through the currently open tabs on your web browser. If not for the boiling hot tea in your hands, you would have rushed to stop her, but instead, you slowly place them on the desk and watch.

“It’s not polite to look through somebody’s computer without their permission.” You state firmly, trying to draw attention to yourself and away from the screen.

“You have some weird stuff on here. Is that really what you’re into?” Natsuki asks, smirking deviously. You open your mouth to defend yourself, but nothing comes out. Your face flushes with deep crimson and you look away, preparing for the worst.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” She giggles, opening a new window and typing in the name of the webcomic into the search bar.

                It isn’t long before the mood settles and you find yourself dragging over a chair to read along. Every now and then Natsuki reaches into the container and sinks her teeth into another cupcake while she waits for you to finish reading the page. The story begins with a small community of dwarves living in tandem with native fire spirits. Everything changes once the flame in the kiln goes out and the spirits begin to lose their essence. A team of expert spirits discovers the dwarves have gone missing, and seek to return both the dwarves and flame. Despite the foreboding atmosphere, the moment to moment story is lighthearted enough to keep Natsuki’s interest.

                Once Natsuki gets into reading, her demeanor changes entirely. Her aloofness is replaced with quiet focus as she becomes immersed in the world of the fire spirits. Your monitor isn’t very big, so in some of the more text-heavy panels, you both need to lean in close to read the text. At first, Natsuki finds it jarring, but she quickly adjusts to your company. You continue to read, sometimes taking a moment to pause and talk about the characters and their unique properties as fire spirits. At the point where you’re a few chapters before the currently released page, Natsuki’s calm smile is replaced with an uncomfortable frown.

“Hey, are you alright?” You ask with concern.

Natsuki opens her mouth to say something but is immediately cut short by a quick jolt through her body. Eyes opening wide, she panics as she claps her cupped hand to her mouth, bracing herself on your table as she retches. Thick, creamy chunks of cupcake slip through her trembling fingers, splattering specks of white, sugar-infused vomit onto her dark wrinkled shirt. Tears roll down her messy face, staining her little cheeks as they trickle down her face mercilessly. Thinking quickly, you grab the empty tin and rush it under her chin. With the container beneath her, Natsuki releases her hand from her mouth as she retches once more. The chalky-colored vomit violently splatters against the container in a thick torrent as she gasps for air between the purging episodes. By the time she’s finished vomiting, Natsuki is left a sobbing mess.

“I-I-I’m sorry…” Natsuki chokes out through her tears.

“Y-Yo-You rea-really wanted those to be s-special and I just wasted it!” she blurts out, covering her face with her messy hands

“I just hav-haven’t eaten today and-and-I didn’t w-want to bother you. Now we b-both have nothing to show for it!” By this point, she sounds hysterical.

“Natsuki, it’s OK. Just take a moment to breathe.” You put a hand on her shoulder, but she forcefully shrugs it off.

                Eventually, her wailing subsides and she stares at you shamefully. Seeing her look so uncharacteristically pitiful and meek hurts you. For a second you consider rushing over and giving her a hug, but the way she was apprehensive about your comfort earlier tells you that it’s a bad idea. Instead, you opt to comfort her with words instead.

“if you wanted something to eat, why didn’t you ask? I’d be glad to take the time to cook something with you.”

“I didn’t want you to know,” Natsuki states flatly. She looks exhausted from the whole ordeal.

“Didn’t want to know what? That you wanted to cook something?”

“No! That I didn’t have anything today!” Natsuki’s tone of voice raises sharply as she struggles with whatever message she wants to send out. From her hesitation, you can tell it’s a serious matter, but you feel like letting her work through it at her own pace is better.

“Natsuki, you’re not making any sense. Sayori forgets breakfast and lunch all the time and we’ve never hesitated to help her out.”

“That’s because she has a family that actually cooks for her instead of making her dig around like some kind of rat!”

“Natsuki…”

“No! I hate what happens when Papa gets mad at me so I thought it’d be fine to wait it out at your place but I just made it worse!” Natsuki bites her lip furiously to stop herself from saying anything else. Her chest heaves as she breathes heavily in and out, taking in the reality of what she had just revealed.

                Memories of the poems she wrote in the literature club crash back into your head like a wild tsunami. Suddenly, the bittersweet tone of her pieces makes sense as you realize it was the best attempt at a cry for help she could manage. As you recall each of the poems she showed you in turn, her unfortunate reality suddenly clicks in your mind. You squint your eyes, trying to bite back the flow of tears but your attempt is futile.

“I’m so sorry this happens to you.”

“I don’t need your pity!” Natsuki barks, her eyebrows furrowing as she crosses her arms.

“I’m not offering pity. I want you to know that if you want me to keep it a secret from the others I will. If you want to talk to somebody else about it, there are things that can be done to make this stop.”

“Look, I don’t need you telling me what I need to do. You’ve never had to put up with any of this!” Natsuki’s voice wavers for a moment as she finishes her sentence.

“If you don’t want me to tell you what to do, can you at least promise me one—two things?” You trip over your words slightly as you speak, your thoughts caught up in a flurry of thoughts and emotions.

“Depends.”

“If you ever want something to eat, just tell me. You can come over and we can cook something together, or if you don’t have the time I can bring you something in my backpack to school.”

“A-and what’s the second part?”

“If you ever feel like you’re in real danger, please run away or call someone for help. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you Natsuki. You mean a lot to me.”

“I’m really that important to you?” Natsuki’s frown cracks into the slightest smile as she hears you finish the last bit of your sentence.

“I..”

“I love you Natsuki. Nothing that happens to you can change that.”

Natsuki stops dead for a moment, then launches into a hug that feels more like a tackle. Despite your chair’s best efforts to stay upright, both of you end up on the floor. Natsuki wraps her arms around you tightly, her tiny frame shaking as she presses her head to your chest. Lying on your back, you return the embrace.

“I love you too.”

                As the two of you lie on the upturned chair, the world around you melts away for a moment. The only thing remaining is a faint acrid scent in the distance as you hold each other close. Minutes pass before you motion for her to roll off you, standing up before reaching down and grabbing her hand to pull her back upright.

“You look like a mess.” You say, rubbing your face against her cheek.

“Well if I look gross, then don’t touch me then!” Natsuki teases, her usual bittersweet demeanor returning to normal.

“You made a mess of your shirt earlier, do you want to wear one of mine while we put yours in the wash?”

Natsuki’s smile explodes across her face as she thinks about how to reply. “How about you give me your shirt and lend me your shower for a few minutes?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want you going home looking like that.”

                Natsuki flips the chair back to its right side-up position and flings open the door of your wardrobe, grabbing the first shirt she sees. She pushes you out of the room insistently before handing you her skirt and a stained t-shirt upon your re-entry. Your shirt loosely hangs off her shoulders and nearly reaches her knees, but you can’t help but appreciate how cute it looks on her.  A few moments later, she locks the bathroom door and the sound of spraying water fills your ears. While she’s busy, you carry the plastic container downstairs and empty it into the guest bathroom. It goes down without any issue, and the tub itself cleans off easy in the sink.

                You toss her dirty clothes in the laundry, hoping there’s enough hot water for both her shower and the washer to run before you sit back in the kitchen and wait. Not long after, the shower turns off and Natsuki pops out of the bathroom door. By this point, the red in her face is gone, and her hair is a bit frazzled from the haphazard towel-dry. She skips over to you, making her presence obvious. She makes an exaggerated motion and seizes your hand, leading you back upstairs.

“We didn’t catch up to In the Kiln yet! “

                By the time you catch up to the current page, Natsuki’s laundry is finished and she’s back into her regular outfit. Looking out the window, you suddenly notice how much time has passed; it’s already a fair way into the evening. Not wanting Natsuki to feel afraid walking home in the dark, you propose a solution.

“Do you want me to walk you home?” You ask, trying your best not to sound too excited.

“No thanks. If Papa caught me with a boy he’d beat the shit out of me.” Natsuki giggles, leaving you feeling awkward. You decide to go halfway between a laugh and disapproval and give her a smile instead.

“Sorry I ate all your cupcakes. I guess the literature club will have to do without them tomorrow.”

“That’s OK. I made them for you anyways. I hope you enjoyed having them while you did.” Natsuki smirks at your response.

“Oh! About that promise I made you…” Natsuki begins.

“What about it?”

“Can you make me something to eat before I head home? I’m starving.”


End file.
